Daily Archives: September 19, 2017

We ran a prop bet on which NFL coach would be fired first in 2017. New York Jets coach Todd Bowles led our odds, while the Bengals’ Marvin Lewis and Colts’ Chuck Pagano also made the list.

These play-callers are still on a hot seat because they’re all currently 0-2 this season. Let’s discuss why their seats are getting hotter along with a couple more coaches who must fear for their jobs.

1. Chuck Pagano; 49-33 Record with Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts have never been a talent-laden team during Chuck Pagano’s tenure. But they’re especially in trouble now without star quarterback Andrew Luck.

The Colts were completely dominated by the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. Then they blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the Arizona Cardinals and lost in overtime.

It doesn’t bode well for Indianapolis that the lowly Cleveland Browns are favored by 1 on our GTBets line.

Pagano has won plenty of games with the Colts during his 4-plus years. But this could be the final chapter in his Indianapolis career, especially if they can’t beat Cleveland and fall to 0-3.

Pagano has survived back-to-back 8-8 seasons in a weak AFC South. But he’ll need to prove that he can win games without Luck in order to keep his job.

2. Marvin Lews; 118-103-3 record with Cincinnati Bengals

Marvin Lewis deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done in Cincinnati. He took over a chaotic franchise in the early 2000s and transformed them into a respectable team.

But we’re 15 seasons into Lewis’ tenure and he’s yet to produce a playoff win (0-7). Moreover, the team missed the postseason last year.

2017 doesn’t look much better because Cincinnati has started 0-2, losing two home games. What’s worse is that they’ve failed to score a touchdown and fired their offensive coordinator.

Marvin Lewis has the best coaching record in the team’s history. But this won’t buy him any more time if the Bengals continue to lose.

3. John Fox; 9-25 record with Chicago Bears (128-114 Overall)

The Chicago Bears have started 0-2 for the third consecutive year. They essentially lost their last game against Tampa Bay by halftime (26-0). Chicago doesn’t have much light at the end of the tunnel either because Green Bay and Pittsburgh are next on their schedule. It’s very realistic that the Bears start off 0-4, virtually guaranteeing that they won’t make any noise in the competitive NFC North.

Ownership thought they were bringing in a proven winner who’d transform Chicago into a playoff team. Instead, this is a rebuilding process over two years into Fox’s reign.

Things won’t get any better either because three Bears starters are on injured reserve. Three more left the Tampa Bay game and didn’t return. A tough schedule and injured starters doesn’t create a good picture in Fox’s make-or-break year.

4. Todd Bowles; 15-19 record with New York Jets

Todd Bowles has the least overall talent of any coach on this list. That said, it may not be imperative that he makes the playoffs to keep his job.

But the third-year coach needs to show that he can at least guide the 2017 Jets to a few wins. This is easier said than done because many have predicted an 0-16 team.

Bowles also needs to develop the younger players and get them into a position to win within 1-2 years.

New York has the Jets and Browns coming up on their schedule soon. If they lose both of these games, then New York will find it tough to pull out any more wins on their remaining schedule.

5. Sean Payton; 94-68 record with New Orleans Saints

Sean Payton’s seat is the least hottest because he was given a new contract last year that will run until 2020. He’s also good with quarterbacks, which is something the Saints will need whenever Brees retires.

But the problem is that New Orleans just isn’t winning. They’ve produced 7-9 records for three straight seasons. 2017 doesn’t look very promising either because they’ve started 0-2.

New Orleans’ defense has been bad for years. But this season’s version looks worse than ever.

The Saints play the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins within the next two weeks. If they can’t get at least one W, then the Saints will fall to 0-4.

It’s hard to see Payton getting fired midseason because he’s been a franchise institution. But some are ready to see New Orleans move on from the Payton-Brees combo that’s brought the team a number of successful years.